Post navigation

Voices From The Readers

Common Core Concerns
Editor:
Will the federal government have access to your child’s personal data? Yes.
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) assessments will provide the federal government access to student level information on your children. Student level means information would be tied directly to a specific child.
The federal, “Race to the Top (RTTT) Assessment Program” awarded a $169 million grant to the “Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers” (PARCC) to develop tests aligned to the CCSS. Maryland has an agreement with PARCC.
The Cooperative Agreement between U.S. Dept. of Education & PARCC, offers some troubling terms:
Page 3 Item 5 reads … “including, but not limited to working with the Department of Education to develop a strategy to make student level data that results from the assessment system (PARCC) available on an ongoing basis for research, …”
Page 10 Item 6 reads, “The Grantee (PARCC), must provide timely and complete access to any and all data collected at the State level to Education Department or its designated program
monitors, technical assistance providers or researcher partners …”
In short, the government wants to collect a dossier on every child, containing highly intrusive, personal information, without asking permission or even notifying parents.
If you are concerned with the federal government having complete access to your child’s personal information, contact your state and local school boards, governor, state and federal legislators and ask them to withdraw from PARCC.
F. Gebhart
Berlin